Consumer Initiatives

In 2001 the Office of the Director of Telecommunications Regulation (ODTR) issued Decision Notice D13/01, Codes of Practice for the Handling of Consumer Complaints by Telecommunications operators based on obligations at this time on operators set out in the Voice Telephony and Universal Service Regulations 1999, S.I. no 71 of 1999. It was recognised that it was the responsibility of operators to take all possible steps to resolve consumer complaints but there was a need for a basic standard to ensure that the complaints would be handled adequately. This operator code of practice provided consumers with transparency as to how telecommunications operators treated a complaint by advising them of the steps to take during the handling of a compliant.

Decision notice D13/01 provided that operators should include the following in their Code of Practice

• First point of contact for complainant
• A means of recording a complaint
• A time frame within which the operator concerned shall respond to complaints
• Retention of records of consumer complaints

In 2003 the Commission for Communications Regulation “ComReg”, in light of changes at EU level, consulted on how these changes would be addressed in the national regulatory framework. The provision that operators developed codes of practice for handling complaints was maintained under the new legislation S.I. No. 308 of 2003 and this was further developed to include reimbursement of payments/refunds, Decision Notice D16/03 Users Rights to Communications Services.

ComReg also has a part to play in operators' dispute resolution and complaint handling which remains unresolved after the completion of all the procedures set down in an operator’s code of practice for dealing with consumers. ComReg’s consumer team facilitates consumer queries and complaints on a daily basis and part of our role is to ensure that an operator has complied with their code of practice and customer guarantee scheme.